ABDC Season 6: And the Winner is...

Tonight it all ends. Either IaMmE wins or I may just give up on this show forever and stick with So You Think You Can Dance only. I guess we'll see tonight! Over 50 million votes were cast, breaking all previous records for this show. Along with crowning a winner, all five previous champions are back to perform again. We'll get amazing routines from Jabbawockeez, Super Crew, Quest Crew, We are Heroes, and Poreotix.

Opening Number: IaMmE and Iconic Boyz
Raise Your Glass by Pink
The two final crews performed together in a rocking opening number and I was very impressed with how well the integrated the two crews style. My favorite move was Marvelous Moon's little slide and rock and roll move, front and center.

Read about the other performances after the break.

ABDC and SYTYCD collide: Hiro McRae of We Are Heroes heads to Vegas

There has already been a good amount of cross-pollination between the two shows,  and it looks like that trend will only continue. In the LA auditions, a young japanese hip hopper looked so familiar to me. She did some fantastic popping and as I watching, I recognized her style. It was Hiro from We Are Heroes, winners of America's Best Dance Crew Season 4!

Watch her audition and learn more about other ABDC/SYTYCD crossovers after the break.

ABDC Season 6: The Battle of the Final Two

What's the point of this episode? I thought their last routine was the "last chance dance" that traditionally ends the competition and we just wait to crown the victor. But I guess they wanted to add another episode to the season, so tonight the crews are doing one last episode of "no holds barred" dancing to show America what they've got.

If Phunk Phenomenon had made it to the finale, I would care about this episode a lot more. I don't really care to see Iconic Boyz dance three more times. I just want to see them lose already!

For the first routine, the judges picked their most stunning performance from each crew for them to recreate and kick up a notch. See what routines the judges picked, after the break.

ABDC Season 6: Kanye West Challenge

The top three take the stage to Kanye West's tracks and have to attack a type of dance that relates to Kanye's constant evolution through dance styles. I guess Kanye's too busy with all that power to intro the songs since Season 5 winners are introducing the crews to their challenge. Also, instead of each of the crews getting a single Kanye song, they'll be dancing to a super master mix and all have to include The Dougie, Boogaloo, and Isolations.

Group Performance
Kanye West Song: All of the Lights feat. Rihanna
Awesome routine with some great use of the stage and interaction with the audience. It's just glaringly obvious that Iconic Boyz are being outdanced in these numbers though. If they win this show, I'm going to be pissed. This is supposed to be America's BEST Dance Crew, not America's CUTEST Dance Crew.

The crew locked in for the finale is...

ABDC Season 6: Nicki Minaj Challenge

As a big fan of Nicki Minaj, I have high hopes for this week! They'll also finally do a group performance. I wish they would do these more often, instead of just the first week and the Top 4.

Group Performance
Nicki Minah Song: Massive Attack
Great group number that let every crew shine! I especially loved that Iconic Boyz were hidden behind the shrubs in the beginning and then when they came out, tried to grab Oliva from IaMmE, but she slipped through their fingers.

The final four crews come from across the country, from LA to New Jersey, and Boston to Houston. I was mistaken last week in saying the West was out of the running; I don't know why I thought Street Kingdom was from either the South or the East? Oh well, just wanted to correct what I said last week. The West could still hold on to their reign, if Street Kingdom hangs on until the end.

ABDC Season 6: Justin Bieber Challenge

This week is probably going to be torturous for many of the fans. Seriously, who associates Justin Bieber with hip hop dancing? I know he’s Usher’s protégé, but come on.

With only 5 crews left, it’s getting harder and harder to pick out which crew will be in the bottom. The first group to be safe is either Instant Noodles or Iconic Boyz. Are you kidding me? Iconic Boyz are safe andInstant Noodles are in danger of going home. I guess it’s appropriate that the teen boys are the first to dance to the “teen dream” Bieber.

Crew: Iconic Boyz
Justin Bieber Song: Baby featuring Ludachris
Background: They have to incorporate basketball moves into their routine, since he played basketball in his movie NEVER SAY NEVER. They won’t have a ball on stage, so they’ll have to mime together to get the imagery across.
Routine: I love that their master mix included D-Trix’s commentary on how they’re “all like a bunch of dancing Justin Biebers.” Oh snap, did I just enjoy their routine? That was my favorite of their routines yet. They did a great job incorporating basketball movements, but JC thought it was all really easy choreography. He wants them to step up their game since that didn’t show off that they’re supposed to be among the best. Lil Mama got what they were going for and thinks they’re growing. D-Trix didn’t agree with JC this week, and turned his insult back on him. “Don’t be a crackhead, man.” He loved the progression in their movements and the story of the game they told. He’s got Bieber Fever, but this week D-Trix caught Iconic Fever.

ABDC Season 6: Rihanna Challenge

This week the crews take on the songs of Rihanna's top hits, and even get the help of her personal VMA Show choreographer, Demitri Scott, to make sure they include dance hall moves that have caribbean roots and that island feel.

The first crew to be safe this week is Instant Noodles, which was a surprise to me! I definitely don't consider them in the top half of the crews.

Crew: Instant Noodles
Rihanna Song: Hard
Background: They had to include a "head top" move into their routine, which is a jump down to the ground into a head stand with some booty shaking.
Routine: Lil Mama thought they could have brought more dance hall style to the performance, but loved when they did a crotch grab and then switched to the other leg. She thought it had that reggae swagger. D-Trix thought that this was their best performance yet. He pointed out the air freezes and the baby mills, but especially loved that they broke out of their mold and did some booty popping on their heads. JC thought it was clever the way they transitioned from dance hall to b-boy moves. Overall, I thought it was good but this crew has yet to blow me away. We've seen such great b-boy crews on the show before and they are just not living up to that precedent.

ABDC Season 6: Katy Perry Challenge

Tonight the crews will be taking on the upbeat, sugary sweet tunes of Katy Perry. It'll be interesting to see how krumping works with her pop hits.

Street Kingdom wears the same thing every week. I get that they're hard core street and wear camo, but they need to change it up a little! The first crews saved this week are Phunk Phenomenon and IaMmE, to no surprise since they are currently the best crews so far.

Crew: Phunk Phenomenon
Katy Perry Song: Waking Up In Vegas
Background: They're really involved with Jaredsfight.org, a charity for SanFillipo Syndrome. Visit the site for more info. They also work with Hip Hop For Hope. It's great to see a crew giving back! I'm sure they'll be getting a lot of votes this week for this, on top of the votes for their great routine.
Routine: The roulette move was great and very creative move to illustrate the sound effect and story. D-Trix loves them more and more every week. They took the music and told a story with it. Lil Mama's toned down her eye make up this week, so maybe I'll be able to listen to her. She thnks they're the most powerful crew in the competition. JC loved that they continued the story after most of the crew jumped off stage, but thought the acting at the end veered into the too cheesy territory.

ABDC Season 6: Black Eyed Peas Challenge

This week the Top 8 crews finally perform on the same night! This week they have the challenge of trying to make me the Black Eyed Peas songs work in their favor. The 6 crews with the most votes will advance to the next show, with the bottom 2 fighting it out for the judges. The first two crews saved are Iconic Boyz & Phunk Phenomenon! I'm very surprised the kids get the pass so early.

Crew: Iconic Boyz
Black Eyed Peas Song: Just Can't Get Enough
Background: For the choreography they have to all be connected at one point on stage. And when that kid says he's liked them for his whole life, I'm pretty sure that's true.
Routine: They're just so little! I liked the electric theme they went with, and how they electrified when they connected. JC noticed they got sloppy at points and walked into formations. D-Trix thinks they're SO CUTE and thinks they have the ability to use their cuteness to their advantage. He also really liked the metaphor that they were connected to the music with those big headphones. Lil Mama said something, but I totally wasn't listening because her eye makeup and outfit distracted me too much. Hopefully I'll be able to catch what she says for the next group.

Crew: Phunk Phenomenon

Black Eyed Peas Song: Don't Stop The Party

Background: They have to use speed control, slowing it down and then speeding it up within their moves. This is hard for them because they're a high energy group. 

Routine: Their slow-mo move was AMAZING. They had a great performance that mixed in the tricks and acrobatics with solid choreography. JC thinks they just put everybody on blast! They are good at everything, and D-Trix can't wait to see next week and neither can I! This crew is definitely one that has the potential to go all the way to the finale. 

ABDC Season 6: Ke$ha Challenge

This week, the remaining 5 crews are performing to Ke$ha hits. Last week's episode was so strong with IaMmE Crew and Street Kingdom. We'll see which crews shine through this week.

The group performance to "We R Who We R" was even better than last week's! Again, each crew got a chance to take center stage, and I think Instant Noodles and 787 Crew were the standouts for me. Iconic Boys were instantly recognizable because of their size and youth. It'll be interesting to see if a crew so young can stand equal with the big boys (or girls).

Crew: FootWorKings
Ke$ha Song: Tik Tok
Background: Footworking is a Chicago style that has Mike N Ikes, Dribbles, and Erk N Jerks. You basically move your feet to every beat of the song. Dancing to Ke$ha, they have to worry about making sure they feet can keep up to the beat.
Routine: The backflips at centerstage were great since he just went right into the footwork and was able to stay in time with the others. I loved the last move where the girl, "Lil Bit" ended as the only one standing. She definitely works hard to stay in time, keep up with the quickness of the guys, but also stand out since she is the only girl. JC pointed out a dangerous "ankle break" move that I would not have noticed without that slow-mo. D-Trix thinks this footwork is the future of hip hop and is glad they're showing it off to America. He's already a fan and I think I am too.

America's Best Dance Crew Season 6: Lil' Wayne Challenge

This show is FINALLY back after a very long hiatus!!

They wasted no time this season with try-outs or getting to know the crews, it just opened straight into a brief recap of the show's previous winners (to the tune of "Written in the Stars" by Tinie Tempah) and then a sweet opening group number set to Lil' Wayne's "Six Foot Seven Foot."

This episode only features 5 of the 10 crews, but one crew will still be eliminated this week. We've got our regular judges, Lil Mama and JC Chasez, and now the third judge is Dominic Sandoval, from ABDC Season 3 winners QUEST and So You Think You Can Dance Season 3.

Crew: IaMmE
Lil Wayne Song: Ride Above It
Background: They focus on "The Brain Bang" which is doing moves that make you want to rewind it to get the moves and everything they're doing. You make recognize Philip Chbeeb from his time on So You Think You Can Dance Season 6, and if you follow him on twitter you've probably seen his videos with fellow crew member Marvelous Moon and Quest's Hok.
Routine: Overall they had a great routine that was full of intricate moves, and "rubik's cube" of tutting. All the judges were very impressed and thought it was a great opening to this season. JC only hopes they don't get stuck in that "brain bang" cluster in the middle and are open to trying new moves as the challenges change.

ABDC Season 6: First Group Performance

UPDATE: For my thoughts on the season premiere and the 5 crews that performed, read my recap here.

America's Best Dance Crew premieres tonight! In case you haven't noticed, I'm pretty excited for it. While we're still hours away from the hip hop dance awesomeness, you can already watch the first group dance number online! Watch the dance after the break.

ABDC Spotlight: IaMmE's I'm ill

I just watched the latest IaMmE video and I am so excited for this season of America's Best Dance Crew! While this video doesn't feature the whole crew, it's awesome to see a girl keeping up with Philip Chbeeb's hard hitting moves. Watch the short video below:



ABDC premieres on MTV Thursday, April 7.

ABDC Spotlight: IaMmE's The Brain Bang

When I made my judgements on the crews based off just their 3 sentence blurbs yesterday, I had no idea that Philip Chbeeb's crew had made the cut! He was a fantastic hip hop dancer on Season 5 of So You Think You Can Dance, but he couldn't translate those skills in to the other styles that the show requires. With America's Best Dance Crew, he won't have that problem. Check out this video of his crew IaMmE:



I'm totally retroactively adding them to my list of crews to root for.

America's Best Dance Crew: Season 6 Crews Revealed!

Dance TV season is gearing up and I'm so excited! We just got news about So You Think You Dance, and now America's Best Dance Crew (ABDC) has revealed the 10 competing crews!

TVLine has the full breakdown on the crews, but I already have a hunch on which crews I'll like based of their style and hometown.

Being from LA, I'm obviously a big fan of the West crews. And given the fact that a West crew has won every season, it seems America is too!

My favorite crews sight-un-seen:

Instant Noodles | Say hello to this season’s b-boys. The Los Angeles-based crew, with roots in Taipei, Taiwan, aims to build on the already unique style and share what makes them distinct.

Asian, from LA, and B-Boys - YES PLEASE. I'm expecting some pretty great things from them.

Eclectic Gentlemen | With their focus on being clean-cut and well dressed, these suave hoofers from North Hollywood bring a professional style to the stage. The crew currently teaches workshops and has traveled the world with big-name musical acts, but hopes to attain individual recognition on ABDC.

I'm a sucker for clean-cut boys, so it'll be nice to see them pulling out some great hip hop moves while looking good too. Plus, their high-profile background gives them the edge on live performance.

Street Kingdom | Despite their rough pasts in inner city Los Angeles, Street Kingdom’s co-ed members have made a fresh start — and it’s all because of a shared passion known as KRUMP.

I wasn't a fan of Krumping until I saw it down right on SYTYCD by Twitch. If they can live up to that (which will be hard) they could just blow everyone away. Plus, everyone loves a rags-to-riches story about inner city kids overcoming all the odds to make it big.

ReQuest | These New Zealand ladies are currently riding high as the 2010-11 World Hip Hop Dance Champions. They hope to showcase their moves while fusing cultures together and inspiring girls around the world to dance.

The only non-west coast crew to make my list, I have to root for the ladies! Plus, with that big title under the belt, you know they can move.

For more info on all the crews, visit TVLine.

A Look Back at 2010

The year is almost over and everybody is doing Top 10 lists or looking back through the year. Since my blog actually existed throughout the whole year, here's a look at some of the best and most popular posts of 2010!

As a huge dance fan, the first half of the year was dominated by America's Best Dance Crew and So You Think You Can Dance posts and reviews. Some of the most popular posts were videos of my favorite routines.
The Top 5 SYTYCD posts are:
1. If I Were a Boy by Lauren and Dominic
2. Collide
3. A short playlist I drew up from Season 6 continued to be popular in the new year
4. Fix You
5. Mad World



The Top 5 ABDC posts are:
1. ABDC: Illusion Challenge
2. ABDC: Season 5 Finale
3. ABDC: Champions for Charity
4. ABDC: South Regional Crews
5. ABDC: Hip Hop Nation and Last Chance Challenge

And of course, my most popular blog post is the write up I did about the Jabbawockeez Vegas show, winners of the first season and the biggest success to come out of ABDC. They're still in Vegas over half a year later and if you can, go watch it!

While a lot of my most popular posts are about those two dance shows, I also posted a lot about movies and TV.

Here are the Top 8 Movie/TV posts:
1. Dreamworks Face 
2. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World Soundtrack
3. Jimmy Fallon's Gummi Bear Song 
4. Antoine Dodson at Hogwarts
5. I'm cheating on this one, but San Diego Comic Con posts were really popular and a whole lot of fun!
6. While the post is from last year, the Harry Potter vs. Twilight debate rages on.
7. Chuck is still one of my favorite shows, here are 10 Reasons Why You Should Be Watching

8. We take for granted just how much work goes into television. This video revealing just how much is green screen shows that a simple shot of people walking outside is more than meets the eye.

This year I also started a one off blog for the month long road trip I took with my boyfriend (now fiancé!!!), started a tumblr or two, wrote for a few awesome websites, and overall just continued to be addicted to the internet.

Here's to a fantastic 2010 and an even more promising 2011! 

So You Think You Can Dance: Top 11 Results

Last night So You Think You Can Dance had to make its first cut. With only a Top 11 this season, instead of the usual Top 20, the cuts are already so hard to predict and every dance that goes home is amazing.

Before the elimination though, we got a great routine set to Kelis' Acapella, choreographed by a new choreographer Tessandra Chavez. The dance had it's moments - like the two guys using a girl as a jump rope, but the highlight for me was the song. I hadn't heard it before and now I can't get it out of my head. Check out the official music video from Acapella by Kelis:



The results show also featured a performance by Usher singing his new summer hit OMG. I don't love the song, but Usher knows how to dance and perform. Then we got the world premiere of Justin Bieber's new music video: Somebody to Love featuring Usher.



I loved the performances by ABDC Crews Beat Freaks and Poreotix! Did you guys spot any other dance crews?

Then, in the end, it was Alexie who was sent home. Sad to see her go after auditioning and trying for so long to make it on the show, just to go home in the first week.

Jabbawockeez: Mus.IC Vegas Show

Last weekend I was lucky enough to make the trek to Las Vegas to catch the Jabbawockeez headlining show "Mus.IC" featuring members from SuperCrew and Supreme Soul. While Vegas always makes for a great weekend getaway, the highlight was definitely the Jabbawockeez show!

I didn't know what to expect going in to it this show: what would the story be? How would they keep it fresh for a 2 hour long performance? Well, they put on a fantastic show that mixed dancing, laughs, and crowd interaction! If you catch the show during this next week before it closes, I HIGHLY recommend! It's worth every penny and the best bang for your buck without a doubt. If you plan on making it to the show, stop reading here. Keep reading for a full breakdown of the show and my thoughts.

Jabbawockeez on Jimmy Fallon

Last night Jabbawockeez performed on Jimmy Fallon! I was a little disappointed it was the same routine from the ABDC Champions for Charity, it was still awesome to see again. Jimmy Fallon has a bigger audience that normally wouldn't watch America's Best Dance Crew, so it makes sense as far as exposure goes. It's too bad it seems the cameras didn't know how to shoot a dance crew - far too many close ups and isolated shots that didn't show the syncronized movements of the crew. Oh well, you watch the clip below and judge for yourself!

ABDC: Champions for Charity

The first time all 5 champions are on stage together! Every charity represented gets a $10,000 check to help the charities grow.

Opening Number:
It's awesome to see all the champions dancing together on one stage. The group numbers during the season sometimes suffer from the weaker crews and the varying styles, but this blended really well and served to introduce each crew as a distinctive unit and as champions.



Poreotix: They just won last week, but they have already found a teen to spotlight and help in charity work. Every Body Dance Now gives free hip hop classes to lower income kids and was founded by Jackie when she was just 14. 
Alvin and the Chipmunks themed routine? I guess the routines have to be related to the charities they are representing, so they had a "kids challenge." They had a great tutting section and again, they just look like they're having so much fun while pulling off such in sync moves. Best line from the judges: "You guys have a lot of nuts" - JC. Also, I love that the check read "that's right dawg, 10 Gs."

We Are Heroes: They are representing a charity for people with disabilities, The Sparkle Effect. It's a special needs cheer squad, so girls who normally wouldn't be able to cheer are not part of this special community.
They of course get a girl power routine and decided to go superhero/toy themed. The splits were impressive. They had great energy and really sparkled (ha!).

Quest: I'm really impressed with the kid that made this film to inspire young black men to strive to do better in their studies rather than just banking on rapping or sports.
They had a film challenge and opened it with a great spinning move shot in the style of old film footage. They are by far my favorite routine so far. They did a great broadway inspired hip hop routine that was filled with personality and energy. Some of my favorite moments were D-Trix's spinning, the crew linked together while two members jumped simultaneously through towards the camera, and the tutting section is always strong with this crew.

SuperCr3w: They're dancing for the POW! (Prevention on Wheels) charity that is run by a young woman that is HIV positive herself.
They are so athletic, it's ridiculous! They had a great flip where one guy pushed off the back of another, standing crew member. OH MY GOODNESS I LOVE THAT LITTLE KID. Jaylen stole the show and was absolutely amazing! He did windmills, head spins, flips, flares, this kid did everything! Who is this kid? Is he the kid of one of the crew members? A younger brother? That is the next generation of ABDC right there.

The Jabbawockeez: They're dancing for Less Than Four, an amputee charity run by a cancer survivor and Special Olympics Athlete.
The Final Countdown! I love it already. They move so well together, it's barely human. It's just insane. I don't even know how to describe what they do because it is so original. They're a popping and isolation crew just like Poreotix, but they could not have more different feels and personalities. They both dance in the same genre, but their routines are so different and distinctive. Seeing this makes me even more excited to see their show in Vegas!

Since there's no winner for the episode, except for obviously the charities and causes they fight for, below are my rankings on the routines.

1. Quest Crew
2. Jabbawockeez
3. Super Cr3w
4. Poreotix
5. We Are Heroes

What a great episode and for great causes. I really like this idea and hopefully So You Think You Can Dance will do something similar.